Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s bid to delay corruption trial

An Israeli court on Friday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to postpone testimony in his ongoing corruption trial, declining to grant a delay sought on national security grounds following the recent conflict with Iran.

The Jerusalem District Court, in a ruling published online, found Netanyahu’s petition lacked sufficient justification. “In its current form, the request does not provide a basis or detailed reasoning for cancelling the scheduled hearings,” the court stated.

Netanyahu’s legal team had argued he needed to focus on urgent security matters following the conclusion of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, which ended in a ceasefire on June 24.

The decision comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump called for the trial to be scrapped altogether. Describing the proceedings as a “witch hunt,” Trump said in a social media post that the case “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero.”

Netanyahu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, thanked Trump earlier this week for his backing during the conflict with Iran. His allies have long claimed the charges are politically motivated.

In a first case, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets.

During his current term since late 2022, Netanyahu’s government has proposed a series of far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say were designed to weaken the courts.

Netanyahu has requested multiple postponements in the trial since it began in May 2020, citing the war in Gaza which started in 2023, later fighting in Lebanon and this month the conflict with Iran.

With inputs from agencies